Miami Dolphins: A decade of controversy may finally come to an end

Is your mom a prostitute? February 2010

The NFL Combine is one of the biggest off-season events and the lead up to the NFL Draft. Coaches, general managers, some owners, and CEO’s descend on Indianapolis to watch incoming NFL hopefuls get pocked, prodded, timed, and…questioned.

It was in 2010 that Jeff Ireland attended the event as the pure Dolphins general manager. No more hand-holding Bill Parcells. It would be revealed later that Ireland had met with receiver Dez Bryant when the question heard round the world was asked.

“Was your mother a prostitute?”. The question brought unwanted scrutiny to the process, the GM, the owner, and the team. The question reportedly stemmed from a report that Bryant’s father was a pimp. Naturally, one would wonder, no?

The question would put a big black mark on Ireland who would later apologize to Bryant for the question. The problem was that it made Ireland out to be a complete jerk. Something that a couple of years later would again be brought to the forefront.

In September of 2012, Ireland had wrapped a visit with his wife and was heading back to his seat to watch the second half of the game. He met with several fans, took pictures, and signed autographs, but it was the last “fan” that called him over and complained about the job he was doing. That fan told Ireland that he “Should fire himself”. Ireland walked away but called the fan an “asshole” as he was leaving.

That led to phone calls to a local radio show calling out the GM who later said he did indeed say it. Just another black mark during some trying times for the general manager. Personally, I agree with Ireland on this one and had no problems with what he said.

I have had a lot of interactions with Ireland while he was in Miami and always found those to be really good and he was always professional and personable.